VARIOUS ARTISTS, GEZELLIG, VOL. I & II:
BURLINGTON, VERMONT SCENE SAMPLER

(Radio Bean Records, 2XCD)

      Hip Burlington java shop Radio Bean jumps into the record biz with this double disc roundup of local talent. With appearances from 20 area artists, the release is far more than a traditional compilation. Instead of featuring tracks woven around a particular theme, it’s an all-encompassing document of the scene that has sprouted from the North Winooski Ave. coffeeshop. The artists here are all familiar faces at the Bean, which lends a special, cozy air to these 27 cuts.
      Performed at Radio Bean’s newly birthed sister spot Gezellig, the tracks are all live, overdub-free recordings. The sounds range from Caroline O’Connor’s solo sax opener to Jim Daniels and Jim McGinniss’ old-timey duets. Disc one focuses on rock, jazz and funk-influenced songs, while the second is packed with country, bluegrass and blues.
      Multiple-artist compilations often suffer from a lack of cohesion caused by the sheer number of contributors. Even though Gezellig is more varied than most, it retains a remarkably catchy flow. Highlights on Vol. I come from sedated popsters Swale, whose “Bird in a Cage” is a gorgeous, slow-swirling gem. The Black Sea Quartet’s two tunes, “Mighty Red Army” and “Borscht,” showcase the swaying, Eastern European folk that has made them a hot ticket around town. The Kent Variety’s “Take me to the Zoo” pits melancholy vocals against beautifully stinging guitar runs.
      Vol. II brings on the twang with the beautiful, countrified harmonies of Blackthorne Wilderness. Picking siblings the Cleary Brothers turn in two blinding acoustic hoe-downs. Brett Hughes and Neil Cleary’s Whateverly Brothers turn in the heartwrenching drug anthem “8 Ball,” complete with Hughes’s blistering mandolin work. Mickey Western & The Last Stand’s “Jeruslahem” is a fittingly cathartic closer.
Though not every track bristles with the same brilliance, the percentage of keepers is impressive. Gezellig is not only an expertly crafted document of the Radio Bean scene, it’s the best compilation of Vermont artists yet to hit the racks.

ETHAN COVEY

SEVEN DAYS
March 31, 2004